


The Return

by blk0912



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Barson, Barsonoah, F/M, Family Fluff, a bit of mirbarsonoah, implied rollisi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:27:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26870620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blk0912/pseuds/blk0912
Summary: Manhattan's new DA has arranged a surprise for SVU. The surprise makes an appearance at the precinct, with varied reactions from the squad.
Relationships: Noah Porter Benson & Olivia Benson, Rafael Barba & Noah Porter Benson, Rafael Barba & Olivia Benson, Rafael Barba/Olivia Benson
Comments: 9
Kudos: 57





	The Return

**Author's Note:**

> So apparently my muse wants to write one-shots instead of updating my WIP. So that's what I did instead of being productive tonight. I blame Sandra 😂 not really, it's kind of my own fault and she helped me quite a bit with this, including most of the Spanish. Once again, this stemmed from a Twitter conversation, and, of course, my own wish for Rafa to come back to SVU.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

Sitting in her office with Fin and Garland, Olivia was surprised by a knock at her door. 

“Sorry to interrupt,” Amanda began. “Carisi has something he needs to tell you. It’s pretty important, apparently.”

Olivia waved both of them in. Amanda took a seat on the couch while Sonny began to pace. 

“Carisi, you’re gonna wear a hole in that floor. Just tell Liv what’s up,” Fin said.

“You know how Rubirosa replaced McCoy, right?” Sonny began. Before Olivia could respond, he continued. “Of course you do. Why wouldn’t you?”

“Sonny!” Amanda half-shouted, trying to break him out of whatever train of thought he was about to get lost in.

“Sorry. Sorry. I went to talk to Hadid, but Carmen said she was gone, as in transferred back to her old job.”

“Did she say who was replacing her?” Olivia asked.

“She said only Rubirosa hadn’t told anyone anything other than the position had been filled by someone...much more qualified.”

Olivia turned to Garland with a questioning look. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything?”

“I’m afraid I don’t,” he replied. Really, he did, but he was sworn to secrecy. 

“Rollins, if you’re in here, who’s watching the squad room?”

“Kat. I left her studying for her detective’s exam, just like Fin said to.”

Olivia barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Sometimes managing her squad felt like dealing with managing four more children on top of the one she already had. 

“Well, since you’re all here, why don’t we shift gears and you can update me on the latest case,” Garland suggested. 

“Carisi, please sit down,” Olivia requested. “Rollins, can I trust you to keep him calm?”

“Sure thing, boss,” Amanda replied. When Sonny took a seat next to her, she reached for his hand and laced their fingers together. If anyone noticed, they didn’t say anything. 

* * *

While the rest of the squad were in Olivia’s office, Kat sat in the squad room looking over the study guide for the detective’s exam. When she heard the click of shoes on the tile floor, she looked up to see someone walking toward her. Setting the book down, she stood and greeted the stranger. 

“Hello. I’m Officer Tamin, do you need help?”

The man smirked and raised an eyebrow at her. “Do I  _ look _ like a victim to you?”

A little taken aback, Kat blinked at him a couple of times before finding her voice again. “Uh, sorry? Are you looking for someone?”

The man sighed. “Where’s Liv?”

“In a meeting....uh, follow me, I guess,” Kat replied. The use of Olivia’s nickname led her to believe this man knew her captain and maybe she was expecting him. 

* * *

Hearing another knock on her door, Olivia stopped mid-sentence. “Yes, Kat?”

“Sorry to interrupt, Captain, but there’s a very….elegantly-dressed man asking for you.”

Fin raised an eyebrow at her. “ _ Elegant? _ ”

“Yes, he’s…”

“First of all, elegant is not the word I would use to describe my wardrobe.  _ Sophisticated _ is the word you’re looking for. Second, I believe my presence was requested at this meeting.”

Olivia felt like she had stopped breathing. She would recognize that voice, and the sass that often accompanied it, anywhere. Pushing herself to her feet as he stepped past Kat to enter the room, she immediately threw her arms around him. 

“Liv, I’m happy to see you again, too, but I need to breathe.”

Olivia pulled back with a watery laugh and then promptly smacked him on the arm. “What the  _ hell _ , Rafa?!”

Rafael rubbed his arm as he sent his best friend a confused look. “I should be asking you the same thing. The hug I was hoping for, the hit on the arm not so much.”

“How could you not tell me you were back?!”

Rafael offered her a weak smile. “I wanted to surprise you?” 

Olivia crossed her arms and glared at him. 

“It was all very last-minute,” Rafael explained with a sigh. “My flight back yesterday was delayed and I ended up getting back late. When I got to the office this morning, Connie said to head straight over here.”

“Wait, back up,” Olivia said, holding up her hand. “Connie  _ Rubirosa _ ? The new DA?”

“Do we know another person named Connie?”

Olivia pointed a finger at him. “Don’t make me hit you again.”

Rafael rolled his eyes at her. “Connie called me last week, explained what was going on with Hadid. I don’t even know why McCoy gave her the job in the first place, but that’s neither here nor there. She said she transferred Hadid back to her old position while she looked into some things and asked me if I would be willing to take over as the SVU Bureau Chief….and I accepted. Today is my first day.”

“ _ Grazie a Dio _ .”

Olivia looked over at Sonny, who was now leaning against the back of the couch. 

“I hope Carisi isn’t the only one happy to see me,” Rafael commented.

“Of course not,” Olivia replied. 

“We’re all happy to have you back, Barba,” Fin told him. “Have you met our new deputy chief?”

“Not yet,” Rafael answered.

Garland stood and held out his hand. “Christian Garland.”

Rafael shook the other man’s hand. “Rafael Barba.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Rafael.”

“Likewise.”

“You could have just told me your name,” Kat said to him. “I know who you are.”

Rafael chuckled. “Where would the fun be in that?”

Olivia closed her eyes and sighed. “Rafa, enough with the sarcasm. I thought you were here to work?”

Rafael smirked at her. “I am working.”

“Yeah, at being a pain in my side,” Olivia replied as she walked back to her desk. “For that, you don’t get a chair.”

Rafael shrugged and then leaned against the concrete ledge behind Olivia’s desk. This time it was Amanda’s turn to roll her eyes.

“Kat, could you please get another chair?” she requested. 

Kat shrugged. “Sure.”

* * *

Once the meeting had finished, Rafael called out to his friend and new employee. 

“Carisi, get all of your cases together. I want to review them.”

“ _ All _ of them?” Sonny repeated.

“Is there another definition of the word I should be aware of?”

“No, boss.”

“Good. Then we can start going over them tomorrow morning. My office. Nine a.am.”

Carisi nodded and then stood, tugging Amanda up with him. 

“Buy me a coffee?” she asked him.

Sonny nodded, leading her out of the room. “I think I’m going to need one of my own.”

“I’ll walk you out, Chief,” Fin offered, motioning for Garland to lead the way out of the room. 

* * *

As soon as the chief and her detectives had left the room, Olivia shut the door and turned back to her friend. 

“Buy you a drink?” Rafael asked. “Or do you need to get home to Noah?”

“Noah is at Lucy’s for the night….counteroffer?”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Take-out and drinks at my place?”

Rafael smiled. “Even better. What are you hungry for?”

“There’s this new Cuban place... _ Por La Noche _ …” Olivia began. When Rafael’s smile turned into a smirk, she crossed her arms and glared at him. “ _ What _ ?”

“My  _ Tía  _ Ella owns it. My  _ Tía  _ Maria owns the original location down in Miami. I could get us a table tonight if you’d like.”

“There’s something I need to ask you first.”

Rafael sent her a confused look, but then nodded. “Okay.”

Olivia uncrossed her arms and leaned against the front of her desk before taking a deep breath. “ _ And _ ?”

Rafael stuck his hands in his pockets as he tried to resist the urge to reach out and take Olivia’s hands in his. “ _ And _ I love you,” he replied with an uncharacteristic shrug. “And I’m sorry.”

Olivia felt tears well in her eyes as she heard Rafael’s answer. The one she’d been waiting nearly two years for. Standing, she crossed to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. When she felt his arms wrap around her in return, she buried her face in his shoulder as she attempted to get a hold of her emotions. 

“Liv?” Rafael asked, a little unsure of what was happening.

Olivia pulled back and gave him a watery smile. “I love you, too.”

Rafael framed her face in his hands, wiping her tears away with the pads of his thumbs before leaning forward to capture her lips with his. 

* * *

Walking into  _ Por La Noche _ with Olivia’s hand held tightly in his, Rafael smiled when he noticed his aunt standing nearby, talking to the hostess. 

“Would you like to meet my  _ Tía _ Ella?” he asked.

Olivia smiled at him as she nodded. “I’d love to.”

“Rafi!” Ella exclaimed when she spotted them. “ _ Tu cita está muy guapa. ¿Es quién creo que es? _ ”

Rafael released Olivia 's hand to wrap his arm around her shoulders and pull her into his side. “ _ Sí. Tía  _ Ella,  _ ella es mi novia, _ Olivia. Liv,  _ ella es mi tía  _ Ella,  _ la hermana menor de mi  _ Mami.”

“ _ Es un gusto conocerte _ ,” Olivia said with a smile, holding her hand out.

Ella grasped Olivia’s hand between both of her own. “ _ Igualmente _ .” Turning to her nephew, she continued. “Ah!  _ ¡Guapa y habla español _ !”

Rafael smiled and nodded, pressing a kiss to Olivia’s temple. “She’s amazing.”

“Speaking of your Mami, does she know you’re back in town?” Ella asked, motioning for them to follow her. 

“She picked me up from the airport.”

“Are you here to stay?”

“I am,” Rafael confirmed.

“Good,” Ella replied, stopping at the table she had selected for them. “I expect to see you both here often.”

“We will be,” Olivia assured her, taking a seat before turning to Rafael. “Do you think Noah would like the food here?”

Rafael sent her a confused look as he took his own seat beside her. “He hasn’t tried it?” 

Olivia shook her head. “Not yet, no.”

“Noah?” Ella asked. 

“My son,” Olivia explained. “He’s six.”

“Bring him. We can find something for him. Rafi also knows how to make most of the dishes on the menu, so your Noah could try something at home first if that would be better.”

Olivia turned to look at her boyfriend. “I think Noah would love it if you cooked dinner for us sometime.”

“Maybe tomorrow night,” Rafael replied. 

Ella handed them both a menu. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

* * *

The next morning, Rafael blinked his eyes open and smiled when he saw Olivia sleeping next to him. 

“ _ Buenos días, mi vida _ ,” he whispered, pushing her hair aside to press kisses down her neck and over her shoulder. 

“Too early,” Olivia mumbled, eliciting a chuckle from Rafael.

“We both need to get an early start this morning. That’s why we stopped at your place before coming back here last night. So you could grab what you needed for today.”

Olivia curled further into his embrace. “Comfortable right here.”

Rafael chuckled again. “I know. Me, too. But we need to get up. I’ll share my last two  _ pastelitos _ with you.”

Olivia laughed, pressing her lips to his before she spoke. “I feel so honored.”

Rafael rolled his eyes at her and then leaned over to give her another kiss. “Shower, then  _ pastelitos _ ,” he said.

“ _ Más besos primero _ ,” Olivia murmured, pressing her lips to his again. 

* * *

Walking into his office just before nine, Rafael had just set his coffee on his desk when he heard a knock at the door. 

“Yes?” he called as he discarded his coat.

A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal Sonny with a stack of case folders in his hands. “You said to bring it all,” he said at Rafael’s surprised look.

“I did,” Rafael agreed, walking over to take some of them and set them on the coffee table. “Let’s start with the one going to trial first.”

Sonny nodded, taking the top folder from the few that Rafael had grabbed. “Peterson. Rape one.”

“Walk me through it. Liv filled me in on the basics last night.”

* * *

Later that afternoon, as Rafael was going through a case with Olivia, Sonny, and the rest of the squad, he didn’t notice the two newest occupants of the room. He was stopped mid-sentence by an excited shout.

“UNCLE RAFA!!!”

Turning, Rafael barely had time to set down the file folder he’d been holding before Noah launched himself at him. “Noah,” he said, hugging the boy tightly.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you, too,  _ amigo _ .”

“When did you get back? Are you staying now? Are you going to come over again?”

Rafael chuckled as he set Noah back on his feet. “A couple of days ago, yes, and yes.”

Noah laughed. “Tonight?” he asked hopefully.

Rafael looked over at Olivia with a raised eyebrow. They had already made plans for him to stay at her place that night, but he didn’t really want to tell Noah that in the middle of the squad room.

“If you sit quietly in my office while we finish our work, I think Uncle Rafa would be willing to come over tonight,” Olivia replied. 

“Your mom is right,  _ amigo _ ,” Rafael agreed.

Noah hugged Rafael once more before taking his backpack from Lucy and walking to his mother’s office. 

“I think you might be the Noah whisperer,” Sonny joked. “He never goes to Liv’s office that easily.”

Rafael chuckled. “We’ll see how long it lasts. Now, let’s get back to the case so we can  _ all _ get out of here.”

* * *

****6 months later****

“Rafa, what is all of this?” Olivia asked as she walked into the apartment she and Noah now shared with Rafael and noticed the dining room table set with their best dishes and candles. 

“You’ll see. Your dress is in the bedroom,” Rafael answered, walking over to give her a quick kiss.

“Where’s Noah?”

“With my mom. Probably being spoiled rotten as we speak.”

Olivia smiled. Lucia and Noah had hit it off right away, and when Noah had claimed Rafael as his father, he had begun to call Lucia  _ abuelita _ . After stealing one more kiss from Rafael, she walked down the hall to their bedroom. On the bed, she saw her favorite wine-colored dress and matching heels. 

* * *

Once she had changed and re-applied her makeup, Olivia returned to the dining room. She now noticed that Rafael’s tie matched her dress. He was also wearing a black suit with the blue shirt of his that she had confessed to him was her favorite. He had now placed food on the table as well. 

“Rafa, what is all of this?” Olivia repeated.

“I wanted to do something special for you,” Rafael explained. “I know the last few cases have been pretty rough.”

“Thank you. The food looks delicious.”

* * *

After dinner, Rafael turned on some soft Cuban music and held out his hand. “Dance with me?”

Olivia smiled, placing her hand in his and letting him pull her out of the chair and into his arms. As the song finished, she heard a knock on the door. “Are you expecting someone?” she asked her boyfriend.

“I am, actually,” Rafael replied, giving her a quick kiss. “Be right back.”

Olivia was tempted to follow him, but had the feeling he was up to something, so she stayed where she was. She didn’t want to ruin whatever it was that he had obviously spent time planning.

“Hi, Mom!”

Olivia grinned when she saw Noah run into the room, wearing a suit that matched his father’s exactly. “Hi, sweet boy. I thought you were staying with  _ abuelita _ tonight?”

Noah simply shrugged and handed her a white envelope that she hadn’t noticed he’d been holding. 

“Open it, Livia,” Rafael instructed as he and Lucia joined her and Noah. 

Intrigued, Olivia turned the envelope over and carefully opened it. Inside was a photo Christmas card that read:

_ Merry Christmas _

_ -The Barbas (Rafael, Olivia, and Noah) _

Olivia’s breath caught. Looking up from the card, she saw Rafael on one knee in front of her, an open ring box in his hand. 

“Olivia,  _ te amo con todo mi corazón. Quiero pasar el resto de mi vida contigo _ . You are the love of my life, my soulmate, my other half. Will you marry me?”

Olivia nodded tearfully. “Yes,” she managed. 

Rafael grinned, taking her left hand and sliding the ring onto her fourth finger. “This was my  _ abuelita _ ’s ring. I told her that I wanted to find a love like she and my  _ abuelito _ had, and she assured me that I would...and when I did, to give her this ring.”

“It’s beautiful,” Olivia told him as he stood and pulled her into his arms. “There’s no other ring I would want.”

Rafael framed her face with his hands and captured her lips with his. “I have one more question,” he confessed when he reluctantly pulled back.

“What’s that?” Olivia asked. 

Rafael reached back for Noah, who quickly joined them. “Noah is my son.  _ Our _ son. I want to make that official, too. For us to all be a family...legally.”

“I want Dad to adopt me,” Noah clarified. “I want to be a Barba, too.”

Olivia gave her boys a watery smile. “Yes. Absolutely.” Turning to Lucia, she held out her hand. “There’s just one Barba missing.”

Lucia wiped away tears as she took Olivia’s hand and let her draw her into the circle that she, Rafael, and Noah had made. 

“Family,” Olivia said with a smile.

* * *

****1 year later****

“To the newest member of our family, Miss Miranda Lucia Barba,” Sonny said, raising his glass as he spoke and smiling at the little girl in Rafael’s arms. 

Garland, Nick, Erin, Amanda, Lucia, Fin, Rita, Rafael and Olivia raised their glasses as well. “To Miranda,” they chorused as they all clinked their glasses together.

“I’m a Barba now?” Miranda checked, looking at Rafael nervously.

“You are,” Rafael confirmed with a smile. 

Miranda hugged him tightly. They were soon joined by Olivia, Noah, and Lucia. 

“More family,” Olivia declared, smiling as she looked around at the extended family that she and Rafael had created.


End file.
